Friday Fuel ~ Get Energized For E Meals

In Friday Fuel, each week I will focus in on one of the Trim Healthy Mama fuel types, discussing its importance, when you should choose to eat it, different recipes in that fuel type, etc.

For the past two weeks we’ve been discussing why E meals are so important. Your brain needs them and they give you energy! We need to reject the lie that says that all carbs or bad and embrace the incredible fuel that good carbs are!

This week we are going to tackle one of the biggest objections people raise when discussing E meals:

I get really hungry soon after an E meal.

If you’re feeling hungry soon after your E meal, consider this … “The only likely reason you would feel hungry, an hour after a meal or snack, is if it was not protein-centered and you overdid the carbs. Remember, overdoing carbs causes excessive hunger.” (THM, page 593)

So how do you keep from being hungry an hour or two after an e-meal?

Make sure you are actually having enough food! There is not a set number of grams of protein that you are supposed to have at every meal, but for E meals it will really help to satisfy you longer if you don’t skimp on the protein. This is NOT a rule, but I like to aim for at least 20 grams of protein in my e meals. If I am not having enough meat in my meal to hit that mark then I will add a small protein shake or protein chocolate milk to my meal.

Don’t forget your non-starchy veggies! Are you having a sandwich and an apple for lunch? Don’t stop there, add some veggies to your plate. Have a salad with a low fat dressing. Pile up some bell pepper strips or snap peas on your plate. I love to have some pickled okra! And since you are in e mode, this is a good time to get in the slightly starchier veggies like carrots or beets. Your plate can be full even when you are having an e meal.

Don’t overdo one type of carb. While a sandwich and a piece of fruit is perfectly good in an E setting, we don’t want to do two sandwiches or two pieces of fruit at at time. Our bodies can only handle so many grains at a time. And while fruit is a wonderful, God-given food, we don’t want to overdo the amount of fructose we consume at a time. It is good to get a variety of carb sources into your e meals. Beans and legumes are much gentler and can be used as your entire carb source if you want.

I hope this series has helped you get a better handle on the ever important E meal! I promised that this week I would include some recipes for E desserts and snacks, so here they are!

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